In a mix of chef’s coats and graduation gowns, 23 students celebrated earning a new set of skills for the hospitality industry at the Miami-based nonprofit Camillus House.
The programs — Kitchen Cooking and Hotel Property Specialist Employment Training — are run through a partnership between the organization and Miami-Dade College.
And for many of the clients at Camillus House, it’s an important next step in their lives.
“I hope to get a job in culinary to help me kind of stay financially stable,” said one graduate, Angela Banks. “I want to open my own practice and partner with places like Camillus so I can not just punch a clock, but make a difference.”
Banks told WLRN that she has cancer and was served an eviction notice while she was in the hospital recovering from a stroke.
She and her son were living in public park in Miami when she got connected with Camillus House, which assists with housing, job training and a range of other services. She started the kitchen program very soon after.
“When you’re in the kitchen you feel invincible,” she told WLRN. It's not just art, or a hobby or even a career skill for her. It's been a way to help her emotionally and mentally.
“I also learned about meditation because the chef teaches you about that, how you can control your emotions and your feelings,” she said. “He just helped me to be more positive all around.”
She's completed the program, and she's taken classes for things like budgeting and therapy, and is planning on taking a few more — like coding.
Some of these are also through Camillus House, which offers a variety of programs beyond the hospitality ones. CEO, Eddie Gloria said they have a variety of trainings to empower their clients and help the community.
“We also have a forklift program, we have a construction program,” he said. “I think it adds to what we're trying to do, which is meet the needs of the workforce here in Miami.”
Kathleen Michel, the manager of the Hospitality Institute at MDC, explained that funding for their partnership came from a two-year $400,000 grant from Camillus House and $225,000 from the Southeast Overtown Park West Community Redevelopment Agency.
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MDC offers graduates at Camillus House a couple options for next steps, like continuing their education.
“A lot of the participants who are residents at any of the homeless shelters qualify for the homeless waiver where their tuition is free,” Michel said. “Some of the scholarships that we have on hand also cover books, any lab fees that may be associated with the classes.”
It’s also an avenue for graduates to find employment.
“I see the benefit in not only grooming the talent, but really practicing what you preach,” Michel said. “You want them to go out and get the jobs, so definitely it's important for us to be able to offer those jobs.”
That’s Kendrick Moore’s story: He was a Camillus House graduate who came to the organization while he was homeless, sleeping in his car.
“I feel like it gave me an opportunity to have a dream,” Moore said, speaking to graduates during the ceremony. “I got to join this class which helped me deal with some of my depression.”
When he finished the program at Camillus House, he came back to MDC, just as they were looking for someone to fill the assistant chef position.
“He was looking for an internship and I remembered his face,” Michel said. “He was very present, very hungry. You could tell this is something he wants to do.”
When they finish the program, clients at Camillus House might move on — but they might stay as well.
Gloria explained that some are in other programs for mental health or substance, some might need assistance from Camillus House in securing housing, while others just need a check-in.
“We stay engaged with them: we follow up with them for months,” he said. “The doors are always open here. They can come back anytime they need to.”
Michel encouraged graduates to keep going: to get up everyday, and maintain momentum in their studies and career.
“Keep going,” she said during the ceremony. “Because you never know what doors will open.”
